february 5, 2009
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volume65number18TRANSCRIPT
For Seniors Sonya Rivera and Rob-ert Rodriguez, their last year at The University of Texas-Pan American has not been quite the usual routine. Ex-pected to graduate in May 2009, both students have played a big part in a $1.5 million grant given to UTPA in
September.“I have concentrated a lot
of my time and effort into my projects during my last year atUTPA. I spend at least 20 hours a week working in the lab,” said Man-ager in the research study and presi-dent of the Chemistry Honor Society
A sign promoting The University of Texas-Pan American student orga-nization Pinche Huevon, has raised some eyebrows and freedom-of-speech concerns from UTPA and Val-ley communities.
The 12-foot-by-5-foot wooden
sign on the corner of University Drive and Sugar Road, which reads Pinche Huevon.com, was publicized earlier this week on KGBT News Channel 4. The club started as a comedy sketch on YouTube and shortly after was traffi cked to his Web site.
The organization name, when translated into English, means “stin-gy lazy.” However it could also be
translated from Spanish as “fucking lazy” or “lazy ass.”
“People have called in express-ing their concern, it’s been faculty, staff and community members,” said Marisela Gonzalez, coordinator of campus activities at the Offi ce of Stu-dent Development.
Despite public uproar over the dis-play, Gonzalez said the three-member
organization is within the guidelines of UTPA’s Handbook of Operating procedures, and that the sign will not be removed because of the objec-tions.
She added when the OSD ex-plained this to concerned people, many understood; however several others remained hesitant against the display.
“Some people don’t understand,” she explained. “This is because they have their own thoughts.”
According to Gonzalez, the OSD permits offi cial organizations to fi le a request to place signage around cam-pus as long as it follows the HOP. A sign can only be taken down if it is deemed obscene or violent.
THE PAN AMERICANVolume 65, No. 18 February 5, 2009
Outdoor sign sparks freedom of speech concern � STUDENT ACTIVITIES
By J.R. OrtegaThe Pan American
See SIGN || Page 5
As the sun’s rays streamed from be-hind her, Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas stopped at the doorway with a wide smile on her face and fl ung open her arms in an embrace to the crowd.
As she stepped into the Univer-sity Ballroom Jan. 23 for her retire-ment celebration, the recently retired UTPA president was greeted with a blast of mariachi music and a roar of applause and cheers. She had arrived to her farewell just as she had arrived to her welcome four and a half years ago; a line of mariachis at her side and a crowd of students, faculty and staff eager to greet her.
Hundreds of people, nearly all standing, were gathered in the Ball-room to not only pay tribute to the civil rights and education advocate, but also to hear her speak for the last time as the university’s eighth presi-dent and fi rst female leader.
The crowd, who enjoyed pluck-ing from elegant tables of food, was made up of students, including Stu-dent Government Association mem-bers to students dropping by hoping to give Cardenas one last hug, to faculty and administration, and local current and former politicians. University staff members were also present, with a notably large number of Physical Plant workers, and many of them gave Cardenas very powerful embraces.
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Paul Sale, acting presi-dent until Feb. 23, spoke about Carde-nas’ legacy and introduced several speakers, some of whom gave gifts to the retiring president, like an easel from SGA.
Following Sale’s comments of thanks to Cardenas for her service and leadership, Staff Senate Chair Terry Garcia spoke of her appreciation as well.
“President Cardenas has spent her
University bids farewell to a president By Brian SilvaThe Pan American
See CANCER || Page 5
� FINANCIAL
The sign that hangs where the University of Texas-Pan American’s ATM once stood now stands as a re-minder of an ailing economy.
On Jan. 8 the university’s only ATM was removed from the Student Union because of lack of business, leaving students, faculty and staff without campus access to their cash.
“We were notifi ed by Bank of America, the university’s main checking account, that they no longer wanted to keep it there,” said James Langabeer, vice president for busi-ness affairs. “The number of transac-tions did not meet the minimum re-quired to at least pay for itself.”
The ATM offered banking servic-es such as cash withdrawal, account transfers and balance inquiries. Lang-abeer recognizes that it was a conve-
nience for the university community, and tried to negotiate a deal so the machine could remain on campus. He said he offered to decline the $100 the university received from the bank for keeping the ATM on campus, and even offered to pay them the fee in-stead. The bank, however, was not interested.
“I was willing to pay them $100 a month just to let us keep it,” Lang-
Recession nixes university ATM By Naxiely LopezThe Pan American
See CARDENAS || Page 8 & 9
� ACADEMICS
By Abby FloresThe Pan American
See ATM || Page 5
Ben Briones/The Pan AmericanFINAL FAREWELL - President Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas blows a kiss to the crowd of students, faculty and staff who gathered in the University Ballroom last Friday.
INDEX OPINION PG. 2 NEWS PG. 3 ARTS & LIFE PG. 11 SPORTS PG. 14
Former baseball player gives back to UTPA, See pg. 16
Grant paves way for more cancer research
THE PAN AMERICANPage 2 February 5, 2009
EDITOR IN CHIEF
J.R. Ortega / [email protected]
MANAGING EDITOR
Brian Silva / [email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ana Villaurrutia / [email protected]
A&L EDITOR
Laura Garcia / [email protected]
ASSISTANT A&L EDITOR
Isaac Garcia / [email protected]
SPORTS EDITORS
Ramiro Paez / [email protected] Garza / [email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Ben Briones / [email protected] DESIGN EDITOR
Roy Bazan / [email protected]
ADVISER
Dr. Greg Selber / [email protected]
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE
Anita Reyes / [email protected]
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Samantha Quintana / [email protected]
The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. The Pan American reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. The Pan Americancannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all story ideas to [email protected].
Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.
The Pan American is the offi cial student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily refl ect those of the paper or university.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
**Delivery**Thursday at noon
1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 381-2541
Fax: (956) 316-7122
Feb. 5, 2009 Vol 65, No. 18
For the fi rst time since I trans-ferred to The University of Texas – Pan American, I’ve seen a real chal-lenge to freedom of speech.
The student organization Pinche Huevon posted a large billboard-style sign on the front lawn at the corner of University Dr. and Sugar Rd. This sign displayed one thing: pinchehuevon.com.
The purpose of doing so was to support the group’s Web site by driving traffi c to it. However, given the alternative names to the Web site, a small fi restorm of controversy was created.
Of course, this controversy is to be expected when one of the alterna-tive meanings to the name is deroga-tory and resides in a clearly visible way on the university’s prominent front lawn. This lawn is basically the welcome mat for anyone visiting the university, so people generally take pride in it.
At the root of this, though, is the actual phrase in derogatory alterna-tive meaning: “fucking lazy.” How-ever, the intent behind the group is for the name to say “stingy lazy.”
Even with either meaning trans-lated, I’m still rather lost as to what the defi ned purpose of the group is. But, I’m betting it probably has some loosely artistic-related aes-thetic value. It is a comedy group after all. It’s just not comedy that I personally can fi nd humor in.
However, just because I don’t understand their art doesn’t give me any right to complain about the group’s promotional efforts. We need not create controversy from a fear of something we don’t under-stand.
The group followed every law and regulation, and its intent was not to be derogatory. So, if they’re not saying anything obscene why are we creating a fuss about it?
I believe it was the great poet Maya Angelou who said that we as people give words meaning. If we read out the word “pinche” then the meaning translates into what our mind gives it. If we say to ourselves that it means “stingy” then that’s what it’ll be.
It’s kind of like how other com-mon slang develops. The word ‘cool’ a century ago referred to a lower temperature. However, in
modern times it often is used as a positive term. The meaning of it changed because we as individual people changed the meaning of it in our minds.
Let’s just stop the ruckus over the name and let it be their freedom of speech. They followed all of the rules and regulations, and not one law was violated. The procedures of the Handbook of Operating Proce-dures were met, and the sign went up without any procedural problems.
Although I have no problem with the advertisement of the group’s Web site, I do take issue with the disruption of the university’s pris-tine welcoming lawn. It isn’t to spe-cifi cally shoot down this organiza-tion’s sign, but all signs in that area.
The area of the university that faces University Drive is what all visiting future students and digni-taries see. We need to leave them with the best of impressions, and convince them we take pride in this university.
Let’s leave all other areas of the university for our large sign adver-tisements. It’s a point of pride in our campus that leaves us looking better, classier.
Walking down the many corridors here at the university there are areas in which the landscaping is beautiful, serene. There are several areas around campus that have loaned and extended Mother Nature’s hands to us, such as the butterfl y garden outside the Execu-tive Tower and the patio/garden out-side the Health and Physical Education Complex building.
However, the beauty should not stop there.
As I walked through the north side of the Health Sciences and Human Servic-es West building, a small garden right outside faculty offi ces was littered with plastic bags from the Student Union, loose-leaf paper and other waste.
I felt repulsed.It seems the public has grown ex-
hausted of hearing about going green, so the sensitive topic will not be touched.
One does not have to go out and be-come a recycling Nazi or show support for the campus initiative to go green. But couldn’t people just take a hand in
bringing out the true beauty of The Uni-versity of Texas-Pan American?
Sure, recycling is a means of helping beautify the campus, but helping beau-tify the campus grounds is much easier than that.
It is throwing away your Coca-Cola can in the trash. It’s throwing away the napkin you used. It is being conscious of the responsibility we should all feel innately, to clean up our campus.
We should also take into consider-ation the members of university main-tenance, who have constantly picked up lazy people who can’t use a garbage can fi ve feet away.
The UTPA community should not take for granted the long hours and late nights our maintenance staff has put in to clean this university.
It is they and those who have will-ingly taken the responsibility to pick up after themselves, who have made UTPA not just a higher learning institution, but a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing campus.
I urge students, faculty and staff to extend their own hands and help beau-tify this 85-year-old campus.
Opinion
Let freedom speak
Opinion
Brian SilvaManaging Editor
Illustration by Anthony Salinas
Students need to take responsibility for campus J.R. OrtegaEditor in Chief
The growing need for professional nurses in the country infl uenced The University of Texas-Pan American’s nursing department to take on its own alumni association in late 2004. How-ever, despite the steadily growing number of graduates; the association remains stagnant in activity and alums.
Sylvia Ybarra, the association’s event planner and a retired nursing sec-
retary, said that she and nursing profes-sor Jackey Williams have been working toward receiving sponsors for the orga-nization’s 40 Years of Nursing Celebra-tion, scheduled for March 14.
The celebration aims to bring to-gether the more than 2000 graduates over the past 40 years.
“It hasn’t taken off like we would have like it to have had,” she said about the event’s sponsorship planning and
Since last September the Rio Met-ro Urban Transportation System has carried UTPA student Laura Contre-ras across city lines to give her a ride to school.
But as UTPA students take their free rides, the ink still has not dried on the contracts that give them that right.
“I live in Pharr so I need a ride to school, without the buses I wouldn’t be able to attend classes,” said Laura Contreras, a 20-year-old engineering major. “If the buses weren’t free I’d have to pay for a ride every morn-ing,”
The bus route was established pri-marily to increase the number of po-tential UTPA students in the Hidalgo County area. The transit system ser-vices 16 cities in a 30-mile radius
from Edinburg.Although the buses began trans-
porting students last fall, UTPA has not offi cially completed the contract with Lower Rio Grande Valley De-velopment Center .
“Were still in the process of draft-ing an agreement, unfortunately it will be a drawn out process,” said Letty Benavides, director of auxil-iary services.
The process involves a ping-pong method of negotiation, in which the university and LRGVDC negotiate proposals sent back and forth to en-sure each side has had its say in the matter.
Benavides said one part of the agreement UTPA will not budge on is the necessity of bus arrivals before morning classes and in the afternoon after classes.
Buses arrive at 7:30 a.m. and
Page 3THE PAN AMERICANFebruary 5, 2009
� ALUMNI
Dates to Know:
Environmental science degree in mix for fall
� SEEN AND CAPTURED
The College of Science and En-gineering has now seen the finish line of a six-year effort to make environmental science the newest major within the college.
Starting next fall, students can begin an interdisciplinary major that incorporates math, chemistry, biology, physics, and geology with a focus on environmental issues.
“A lot of us had wanted this de-gree,” recalled Frank Judd, biology research professor. “It was some-thing we had wanted for awhile it gives students another avenue for employment.”
Since 2004, Judd has worked on a task force team to get the environ-mental science degree. In late De-cember the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved it.
Biology professor Robert Ed-wards was appointed director of the
new major and will serve until the program is stable enough to become a department and attain a chair. Ed-wards said the major will introduce a new career option for students.
“We have a lot of new environ-mental laws that affect industries, cities and countries,” Edwards ex-plained. “There are whole environ-mental consulting firms that consult with these entities.”
Environmental science is a com-prehensive field that focuses on
investigating issues like climate change, pollution and future sus-tainability.
“They will learn environmental impact and analysis,” Judd added. “And they will learn how to apply it for a job that they would apply for at a firm or company.”
Students may go on to work for government agencies like the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency.
Biology student Briana Arzate said she would be interested in an
environmental science degree.“I like environmental science be-
cause I like to learn about the envi-ronment…it affects everybody and we all have to worry about it,” said Azarte adding she couldn’t change her major because she was a senior already.
Anatomy student, Jalyssa Garza said conversely said she would not change her major to environmental science, but she believed a lot of
� PROGRAMS
SUPER BOWL FEVER - Students watch the Super Bowl this past Sunday in the Student Union Commons. The Student Union offers facilities to show major events, such as Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration.
Ben Briones/ The Pan American
Rio Metro contract not fi nalized with university By John GallagherThe Pan American
By Ana VillaurrutiaThe Pan American
See ALUMNI || Page 6
See DEGREE || Page 6
See RIO || Page 6
� ACADEMICS
By J.R. OrtegaThe Pan American
Nursing alumni stagnant,
donors may be cautiousThere was a time when loved ones
employed ink and fl owing writing to communicate with each other from long distance. But times such as those are long gone as the electronic age has ushered in faster, more effi -cient ways of keeping in touch.
E-mails, text messages and instant messaging are now the norm, espe-cially among the young, and experts are starting to consider actual pen-to-paper cursive script a lost art.
Cursive, which is taught at the
elementary level across the country, usually in second and third grades, has not been emphasized as much in recent years because of the use of technology, said Janine Schall, assis-tant professor of curriculum and in-struction at The University of Texas-Pan American.
“We’re moving more and more to computers,” said Schall, who used to teach third through fi fth grades. “A lot of schools start (teaching) key-boarding in fi rst grade and second grade.”
Although cursive is still taught nationwide according to a handwrit-
ing study conducted by Vanderbilt University in 2007, Rocio Coria, a 2006 graduate of UTPA who is now a fourth-grade teacher at Valley View Elementary in Pharr, has witnessed the decline in its impact.
Coria believes standardized test-ing has affected cursive writing’s place in lesson plans as in the wake of preparing for exams, cursive has slipped through the cracks and stu-dents are not getting enough practice.
“There is no time for it to be taught,” she explained. “When the
By Abby MunizThe Pan American
Cursive not widely taught, professors say
Love-themed scrabble tournament Monday 2:30 p.m.Student Union Commons
Make Your Own Valentine’s CardMonday 10 a.m.Student Union Commons
� COMMUNITY
See CURSIVE || Page 6
ADVERTISEMENTS February 5, 2009Page 4
ATM continued from Page 1abeer said. “We didn’t want it to be removed, but it was a business deci-sion made by Bank of America.”
But when the decision was made, some students like 24-year-old Lalo Gar-cia felt the impact of the absent machine.
“My sister needed to get money out the other day,” said the business major. “And she had to go across the street.”
For others however, the lack of an ATM does not faze them, which un-derscores the decision to have them taken away.
“There are other sources for money besides the ATM,” said s o p h o m o r e Fabian Trev-iño from McAllen. “If there was re-ally a need for an ATM, it would still be here today.”
The pre-law major also points out that the university accepts other forms of payment besides cash, as credit, debit, and Bronc cards can be used to purchase items.
McAllen native Ronnie Soria, 25, sees this as an opportunity for other banks.
“If they don’t have one up there,
somebody else can put one up,” said the psychology major; an idea shared by the offi ce of Business Affairs.
Representatives from the offi ce are working to get another ATM on cam-pus, even if it’s not from the univer-sity’s main checking account holder. But, as Langabeer points out, it is a tedious and lengthy process. The uni-versity and bank willing to offer ATM services must fi rst negotiate a con-tract until both parties are satisfi ed.
The parties then have to submit the contract to be approved by the University of Texas Sys-tem before installing the ATM.
Langabeer said there may be some interest from other banking institutions to put one up,
and adds that the recent economy is changing the way banking works.
“Banking has become quite a dif-ferent thing during this recession,” Langabeer said, pointing at a newspa-per lying on his desk whose headline cited the 80 layoffs at Compass Bank in the Valley last week. “If it doesn’t make economic sense in a business plan, they’ll do away with it.”
Page 5NEWSFebruary 5, 2009
SIGN continued from Page 1
CANCER continued from Page 1
at UTPA, Robert Rodriguez.The four-year grant, which was
awarded to UTPA by the National In-stitute of Health, will also benefi t the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at the University of Texas Health Sci-ence Center at San Antonio.
“Usually, these types of grants are received by professors at muchlarger research-intensive universi-ties,” Rodriguez said. “UTPA has never received this grant in its his-tory. Obtaining this grant is a highly competitive process according to the National Institute of Health.”
The purpose of the grant is to de-sign organic compound synthesis and testing of compounds against differ-ent cancer cells, which repress cancer growth, but at the same time don’t af-fect healthy cells.
“This grant will help us with some-thing new here in the Valley,” said the fi rst President’s Endowed Professor of Chemistry, Bamil Banik. “Students
will benefi t with better opportunities in research labs at UTPA and at the medical school in San Antonio.”
Another purpose of the grant is to improve cancer research, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The residents there are approxi-mately 85 percent Hispanic, a culture at higher risk of contracting many diseases such as diabetes, along with certain types of cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer facts and fi gures for Hispanics and Latinos show that the leading causes in death for this com-munity are heart disease with an ap-proximate 24,000 cases and approxi-mately 19,000 cases in cancer during 2003.
Banik has been at the university for fi ve years. Banik said he would like to see more cancer researchers come from South Texas.
“We feel this grant will help La-tinos and Hispanics in the Valley, as
well as the nation,” Banik said. “If we get good results, it will be helpful and we could keep investigating.”
As the principal investigator and program director, Banik hopes to im-prove the chemistry department in the years to come by enhancing tech-niques and knowledge of students in the organic chemistry and cancer biol-ogy fi elds.
This is an area which isn’t offered regularly on campus and will allow students to explore and have a hands-on experience.
“I believe that the work I am doing is very signifi cant, the interpersonal and leadership skills I am acquiring while working in the lab with Dr. Banik will be the most signifi cant part I take from the lab for my future,” Ro-driguez said. “Therefore, this research will defi nitely help me for my career development as an independent scien-tist in the future.”
UTPA students, under the guid-
ance of Banik and faculty at UTH-SCSA, will focus on compounds that researchers think cause cancer. This project is hoped to help with the de-velopment of basic educational and clinical research on cancer related health.
“I have been told by several indi-viduals who have obtained a higher level of education in this fi eld that they wished that they would have been given this type of opportunities as un-dergraduates,” said the Brownsville native, Sonya Rivera majoring in biol-ogy and minoring in chemistry.
The funds awarded will support research in laboratories of anti-cancer agents, the study of disparities in can-cer treatment, and also the education of RGV residents about the disease.
“We have been exposed to an area of science that requires hands on ex-perience an area that many individuals are not exposed to until they are very far into their careers,” said Rivera.
Within the next four years, Banik will meet with faculty at UTHSCSA. At UTPA, he hopes to eventually run the same tests at the Junior Health Sci-ence Center.
“If this research is successful, we’ll re-submit the grant, and if we’re able to get good results, our grant will be extended for another couple of years,” Banik said.
As of now, 30 students are helping with the research and approximately 100 will be a part of it in the next four years.
Rivera is currently working on fi nishing her honors thesis, as well as managing the lab during the current research studies for the past year.
Rodriguez also hopes to carry this information while pursuing a PH.D in organic medicinal chemistry.
He would also like to do research on synthesis and mechanism of action studies of novel organic compounds dealing with cancer.
“We were notifi ed by Bank of
America, the university’s main
checking account, that they no lon-
ger wanted to keep it there.”
James Langabeer
Vice president of business aff airs
Pinche Huevon set up the request back in October and the presentation will remain on display until Monday, according to Gonzalez.
A reference to HOP Section 5.6.2 confi rms that the organization fol-lowed proper procedures in placing the sign and this is protected by free-dom of speech. As for the defi nition of obscene, the HOP follows the Tex-as Penal Code.
Christine Stuart-Carruthers, the assistant director of student judicial affairs, is familiar with the HOP and said that freedom of speech on cam-pus is not very limiting.
“It has to produce a violation of the law,” she stressed. “The Texas Penal Code limits obscenity to a very narrow window.”
In October of last year, more than
50 campus organizations were on the verge of being suspended, however Pinche Huevon updated its organi-zational packet and completed risk management training, saving it from trouble.
Rupert Villalon, founder and star of Pinche Huevon, said he had no bad intent in displaying the organization’s Web site address.
“I respect everyone’s opinion,” he stressed. “Everyone has the right to think what they want to think, so some may fi nd it offensive.”
Villalon said he began the organi-zation in Jan. 2007 and that the road into making what was originally a comedy sketch into an organization was no easy feat; he followed all the procedures necessary to place the sign.
“I live in a world where no one is offended by Pinche Huevon,” he said referring to the name’s origin. “By naming the organization something that is thought of as derogatory, it somehow makes it become socially acceptable.”
Amanda Arechar, a freshman criminal justice major, said she had noticed the sign but really did not un-derstand what it was for.
“At fi rst I was a little shocked, I didn’t know what it was all about,” the 20-year-old Mission native said.
Arechar added that as an organi-zation, Pinche Huevon should be al-lowed to display their organization in order to promote it.
“I don’t think that UTPA would put it out there if it would make them look bad though,” she stressed.
Ben Briones/The Pan AmericanPINCHE HUEVON - A member of student organization Pinche Huevon, promotes the Web site at the cor-ner of Sugar Road and University Drive. The sign prompted a public outcry over the translation.
Did You Know?
The University of Texas at Brownsville/ Texas Southmost College has two ATMs on campus with an enrollment of 15,688. The University of Texas-Pan American has an enrollment of 17,337.
make stops approximately every hour afterward.
“We need to get students here by 7:45 a.m. so they can reach morning classes on time,” Benavides stressed.
Unfortunately, students who take night classes must fi nd their own means of transportation due to the bus schedule’s fi nal stop at UTPA at 6:35 p.m.
“I can’t take night classes be-cause the buses don’t come at night, it makes it diffi cult to choose classes that fi t in my schedule,” said Sopho-more Juan Martinez, a computer pro-gramming major living in Weslaco.
To acquire the transit system be-fore the contract was completed, the university sent a letter of intent to
LRGVDC stating its resolve to com-plete the agreement.
The services will be funded by the UTPA Auxiliary Services Depart-ment at an estimated cost of $6,300 a year.
The students who benefi t most from the shuttle services are those who don’t have a car, or simply can-not afford to drive to school.
UTPA is a commuter school with
about 10 percent of the student body living on campus, meaning that a transportation system can impact a huge number of students.
The buses may be used by stu-dents as long as they present their UTPA ID upon entering.
Bus schedules may be found at the LRGVDC Web site or by call-ing the number found on Rio Metro Buses.
NEWSPage 6 February 5, 2009
DEGREE continued from Page 3
science majors would.“I like anatomy but it’s (envi-
ronmental science degree) good because it’s a more specific major,” said the 20-year-old senior.
Based on a survey conducted in August 2005 to March 2006 by the COSE, 319 students of 1,120 stu-dents of various majors said they would switch to environmental sci-ence if it was offered.
Though 645 said they would not be interested in the degree, the col-lege felt it had enough interest from the student body.
“We did a poll in a number of classrooms and there was a tremen-dous response,” Edwards said.
Edwards said because the major
incorporates five fields in science already offered at UTPA, classes for the major already exist. Four cours-es will be created: Environmental Science and Public Policy, Environ-mental Regulations and Analysis, Environmental Chemistry, and Con-servation Biology.
Judd said though many appli-cable classes are already being taught at UTPA, the college is cur-rently looking for a professor with an environmental science degree or someone in an allied area.
The major will require 121 hours for completion. Students who are interested should contact Robert Edwards in the biology department for more information.
ALUMNI continued from Page 3
the association, which has been waver-ing since its inception.
Ybarra added that the March event is still in the works; its main mission is to gain more alumni for the association.
She said that she is still working on getting sponsors for the event and the association’s slow growth is in part due to lack of promotion.
Searching for sponsors during the economic slump, which has already cut jobs and ad sales for most industries, could cause some hesitance from spon-sors, many of whom have been cau-tious about spending in the precarious economic climate.
But Ybarra is optimistic the spon-sors will continue to give.
“I’m sure it will affect later on,” she
said about the economy. “They (spon-sors) were generous in the past so I’m sure they’ll continue.”
The sponsors for the nursing cel-ebration will help fund door prizes and nursing scholarships.
According to Ybarra, the associa-tion has received sponsorships of up to $1,000 from Valley hospitals, nursing homes and even local businesses in the past for the yearly Florence Nightin-gale gala.
However the March event is the fi rst time the nursing alumni association at-tempt to grow and become more active.
Debra Grant, director of the UTPA alumni association, said major effects of the economic crisis have yet to be seen, however sponsors did decline last year.
“We are starting to see it,” said
Grant of the effects of the economic downturn. “We lost some sponsors last year; we’re hoping it won’t go down much this year.”
Up to $100,000 a year has been raised through sponsorships for the UTPA alumni association, ac-cording to Grant. The funds over the past fi ve years have decreased about 50 percent, which Grant said can be attributed to lesser donations and sponsors who have declined.
Many of the UTPA alumni associa-tion’s sponsors are corporate and local
businesses like Valley Coca-Cola, Gate-way Printing and the City of Edinburg, according to Grant. A sponsor’s dona-
tion can range any-where from $10 to $10,000, depend-ing on the event.
Grant added that it is still early to tell how this year’s sponsorship turnout will pan out.
“At this time I cannot predict
what the future holds in donations,” she said. “People are still going to give to causes they have an interest in.”
The crisis is a problem the nursing alumni association may face in gaining
prospective alumni and sponsors for the March event. There have been others in terms of the organization’s long-term success.
Dr. Carolina Huerta, UTPA nursing department chair, has been with the uni-versity for more than 30 years and has seen the association get off its feet but struggle to increase in alums.
Huerta said she wishes the asso-ciation were more active, but realizes Ybarra and Williams are instrumental when organizing future nursing events, regardless of the ailing economy.
“I would hope not,” she said regard-ing the potential economic slump’s long-term effects. “I realize everything is going up and that times are tough but I would like to think this would have no effect.”
RIO continued from Page 3
CURSIVE continued from Page 3
Visit www.lrgvdc.org for more information on Rio Metro’s busing schedules and routes.
“People are still going to give
to causes they have an interest
in.”
Debra Grant
Director of alumni assoc.
kids come into fourth grade, they need to know basic skills, but most don’t because teachers focus on the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowl-edge and Skills test) and they don’t teach cursive.”
Coria adds that some elementary students are not enthusiastic about learning it, either. This year for ex-ample, for one assignment she had her students prac-tice their cursive with 20 vocabu-lary words by writing each word fi ve times.
“They com-plained and whined because nobody knew how to write in cursive,” Coria recalled. “That’s why we focus on basic penmanship more so they can learn to write neatly.”
Coria does agree with Schall in that the use of technology has in-creased while cursive writing is dwindling.
“By third and fourth grade, they know how to type out things on a computer,” she said. “They like it better because it can be in color and
they can have a different font.”As a college student, Ana Rome-
ro, an English major, says that she hardly employs cursive writing ex-cept when jotting a quick note.
“I was taught that once in college, it’s a must to turn in every paper typed,” said Romero, a Roma resi-dent. “That concept has stuck to me and whenever they (professors) tell
me to turn some-thing in, it’s typed.”
Romero feels typed-out papers refl ects good pre-sentation, saying it’s “more pro-fessional.”
It may be a dying art, but Schall says the
decline in cursive writing is a natu-ral progression that is not necessarily negative.
“Cursive is faster than print, and now keyboarding is faster than any type of handwriting,” Schall said. “I don’t know that it will ever entirely die out, that will take generations. Cursive was a formal way of writ-ing… it might turn into something of a historical thing.”
� SEEN AND CAPTURED
CREEPY CRAWLER - Students at Rock Da Rec in the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex warm up with crab walk exercises before participating in a four-station intense workout.
Ben Briones/ The Pan American
“I don’t know that it will ever
entirely die out, that will take
generations.”
Janine Schall
Asst. professor of curriculum
Page 7ADVERTISEMENTSFebruary 5, 2009
THE PAN AMERICAN
whole life showing the disadvantaged their poten-tial,” Garcia said. “She will be leaving a legacy of unlimited potential.”
The tearful president, who welled up with emo-tion, went to the podium to speak to packed room of people standing shoulder to shoulder. The crowd, in its loudest demonstration of appreciation yet, roared with applause, cheers, and shouts of encourage-ment.
She looked across the room and told the crowd that she cherished every face she could see.
“When I looked into the faces of the Physical Plant staff… you represented the families of the Rio Grande Valley,” Cardenas said, explaining that it has been their children coming here to be educated. “I’ve spent my whole life telling the message that these people along the Rio Grande deserve equality of education. What you gave me was the validation of what I fought for.”
She explained that if everyone gives 110 percent, there is nothing the kids of the Valley can’t do. She then looked around the crowd again and called them
her inspiration.“It wasn’t just that I made you believe,” she said.
“It was that you made me believe.” In a strong push of emotion, Cardenas called this inspira-tion a gift, and thanked those in the crowd.
She urged people to keep on working, and to actually double their efforts.
“You must move on,” she stressed. “You must look for the good and the smart in those who will lead you in the future.”
She then thanked her executive team and called them a “group of extraordinary leaders.”
Her fi nal message was to the stu-dents of the university, to whom she said if they don’t complete their task, she will come back to haunt them.
“The torch is passed to you,” Cardenas intoned. “You’d bet-ter make this a better world.”
CARDENAS
“Th e torch is passed to you... You’d better make this a
better world.” ---Blandina “Bambi” CardenasFormer UTPA president
THE PAN AMERICAN February 5, 2009 February 5, 2009 Page 9Page 8
Celebr ating a
TOP-LEFT: Dr. Cardenas fi rmly embraces a Physical Plant worker. TOP-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas grasps her heart as she listens to UTPA’s ma-riachi band play. MIDDLE-LEFT: Dr. Cardenas embraces a Physical Plant worker and explains that he was the fi rst to greet her on her fi rst day. MIDDLE-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas wells up with emotion as she listens to SGA VP Raghuveer Puttagunta. BOTTOM-LEFT: An honorary award is presented to Dr. Cardenas. BOTTOM-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas expresses her appreciation for the mariachi’s music.
pr esidency
Continued from page 1
ABOVE: After Dr. Cardenas’ farewell speech, retired theatre professor Marian Monta greets and exchanges pleasantries with “Bambi.”ABOVE RIGHT: Current UTPA acting president Paul Sale and retiring president Dr. Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas look toward the podium in the University Ballroom where Staff Senate Chair Terry Garcia is speaking to the crowd about her appreciation for Dr. Cardenas’ dedication.
Layout by: Roy Bazan
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THE PAN AMERICAN
whole life showing the disadvantaged their poten-tial,” Garcia said. “She will be leaving a legacy of unlimited potential.”
The tearful president, who welled up with emo-tion, went to the podium to speak to packed room of people standing shoulder to shoulder. The crowd, in its loudest demonstration of appreciation yet, roared with applause, cheers, and shouts of encourage-ment.
She looked across the room and told the crowd that she cherished every face she could see.
“When I looked into the faces of the Physical Plant staff… you represented the families of the Rio Grande Valley,” Cardenas said, explaining that it has been their children coming here to be educated. “I’ve spent my whole life telling the message that these people along the Rio Grande deserve equality of education. What you gave me was the validation of what I fought for.”
She explained that if everyone gives 110 percent, there is nothing the kids of the Valley can’t do. She then looked around the crowd again and called them
her inspiration.“It wasn’t just that I made you believe,” she said.
“It was that you made me believe.” In a strong push of emotion, Cardenas called this inspira-tion a gift, and thanked those in the crowd.
She urged people to keep on working, and to actually double their efforts.
“You must move on,” she stressed. “You must look for the good and the smart in those who will lead you in the future.”
She then thanked her executive team and called them a “group of extraordinary leaders.”
Her fi nal message was to the stu-dents of the university, to whom she said if they don’t complete their task, she will come back to haunt them.
“The torch is passed to you,” Cardenas intoned. “You’d bet-ter make this a better world.”
CARDENAS
“Th e torch is passed to you... You’d better make this a
better world.” ---Blandina “Bambi” CardenasFormer UTPA president
THE PAN AMERICAN February 5, 2009 February 5, 2009 Page 9Page 8
Celebr ating a
TOP-LEFT: Dr. Cardenas fi rmly embraces a Physical Plant worker. TOP-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas grasps her heart as she listens to UTPA’s ma-riachi band play. MIDDLE-LEFT: Dr. Cardenas embraces a Physical Plant worker and explains that he was the fi rst to greet her on her fi rst day. MIDDLE-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas wells up with emotion as she listens to SGA VP Raghuveer Puttagunta. BOTTOM-LEFT: An honorary award is presented to Dr. Cardenas. BOTTOM-RIGHT: Dr. Cardenas expresses her appreciation for the mariachi’s music.
pr esidency
Continued from page 1
ABOVE: After Dr. Cardenas’ farewell speech, retired theatre professor Marian Monta greets and exchanges pleasantries with “Bambi.”ABOVE RIGHT: Current UTPA acting president Paul Sale and retiring president Dr. Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas look toward the podium in the University Ballroom where Staff Senate Chair Terry Garcia is speaking to the crowd about her appreciation for Dr. Cardenas’ dedication.
Layout by: Roy Bazan
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ADVERTISEMENTS February 5, 2009Page 10
Page 11THE PAN AMERICANFebruary 5, 2009
� SCENE
Dates to Know:Music: Mardi RockFeb. 6, 7 p.m. KC Hall; Mercedes
ALEGRIA ConcertFeb. 6, 7:30 p.m. Fine Arts Auditorium
Big hair, fuchsia taffeta dresses, and of course Wayfarer glasses are back from the past with M3 Productions recreation of the notorious, glamorous ‘80s prom. Bust out the Aqua Net, fi shnet stockings, and fedo-ras, because with Valley local DJ BOSCO and DJ ELECTROLUV, everyone will be Wang Chunging on Feb. 7 at Moods Lounge.
Lucas Martinez-Salas, a bookkeeper and fi lmmaker from Pharr, is part of M3 Productions; a production company based in McAllen. A three-man team which includes Martinez-Salas, Ramiro Martinez Jr. and Jeric T. Alvarez, the production company produces fi lms and events, and also promotes local music and artists. They are currently the pro-moters of Music After Hours, a free con-cert series cosponsored by the City of McAllen and the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. When asked about the idea of an ‘80s prom, Martinez-Salas was enthusiastic and excited about the event.
“We were thinking of ways to fundraise for our next fi lm and we thought it would draw a large crowd,” Martinez-Salas said. “Plus it’s our favorite decade.” M3 Produc-tions’ new project is a horror fi lm, which has yet to be titled, and is being shot on lo-cation in Sarita, TX.
This is not the fi rst retro event from M3 Productions. “This is our second ‘80s Prom,” Martinez-Salas said. “The fi rst was back in 2006 at the Pharr Convention Cen-ter. It drew a crowd of 300, but the space was so massive we wanted to try something a bit more personal and that’s how we end-ed up at Moods Lounge. It’s a large space, but not huge like the convention center.”
And the prom theme is none other than “Pretty in Pink” meets high-octane ‘80s New York backdrop.
“The prom’s theme this year is Urban Cityscape,” Martinez-Salas explained. “The colors are black, pink and pearl, and there will be tons of activities just like any other prom.” Activities include a crowning of a prom king & queen. Martinez-Salas said that he and his team from M3 Produc-tions have been working closely with The Monitor to collect nominations that opened Jan. 30 and closed Feb. 3, to be followed by voting.
“We’ll also have a special M3 backdrop where couples and friends can commemo-rate the night and take pictures,” Martinez-Salas said. The type of people Martinez-Salas hopes to expect at the prom is people from that decade and people who love that decade. “Eccentric, hip people always show up to events like this,” Martinez-Salas said. “I mean who doesn’t love the ‘80s.”
Moods Lounge tops at about 180 people
capacity, and Martinez-Salas says the fi rst people to arrive will receive “swag” bags fi lled with goodies and art pieces from local Valley artists.
“We drew a large crowd of people at the fi rst prom,” he said. “We’re hoping for the same crowd to come back and we’re post-ing posters at many stores in the area. We also have a large street team handing out fl yers at local events and colleges.”
Laura Muñoz, a sophomore rehab ma-jor, expressed a desire to attend the event. “I was born in 1988,” the McAllen native said. “So while the best part of the ‘80s had past, I still felt a connection to them, because my parents loved the ‘80s, espe-cially the music.” Muñoz cites New Order, Madonna, The Cure and Cyndi Lauper as her favorite ’80s musicians.
The age limit to attend the prom is 18, and Moods Lounge will provide necessary beverages including mixed drinks to the popular beer choices.
Tickets are $10 presale and $15 at the door, and are available at Melhart’s Mu-sic, Lionel’s Western Wear, Polarisol, and Wireless Toyz. Moods Lounge is located at 200 S. Broadway in McAllen.
The decade’s most popular music will be played at the event and M3 Productions promises a night fi lled with ultra glam, electro new wave music, and the oh-so-’80s techno dancing. Get into the groove.
� LOCAL
Music promoters fl ash back with ‘80s-themed promBy Russen VelaThe PanAmerican
New downtown bar off ers a taste of the bluesRhythm and Brews is showing prom-
ise by building a reputation for having some outstanding performances in an interesting atmosphere.
What defi nes a bar? Music, drinks, the look, the sound; all of these things are key to having a good one, and Rhythm and Brews seems to hit the spot. Located in rapidly growing down-town McAllen on 214 South 17th St., it is strategically placed in the midst of other bars, making it accessible to the avid bar-hopper.
The entrance has an Austin feel with a fl ashing marquee comparable to that of a vintage theater. Though most of the buildings are narrow in the downtown area, this bar defi nitely works with the limited space. With the inside covered with rust-colored brick walls, dim light-ing, and wooden platforms, people can sit and socialize; it’s small, but fi ts like a glove.
Jonathan Reyes, a 21-year-old San Juan native, enjoyed his fi rst time out to the bar.
“There are a lot of people in the Val-ley who would like to get out of work or school and just sit back and relax,”
Reyes stated. “With this new venue, it makes the Valley a bit worldlier and adds another option.”
Moving on to the beverages (for those 21 and up) are not for the light-hearted. When you order a beverage there is no fooling around because the drinks are strong enough to grow a beard on any person. Drinks and looks are what make a bar appealing, but the traditional element is: a bar is supposed to be a place to unwind, a place where the troubled can drown their sorrows in a good blues song and some hard spirit.
Soulful blues was brought to the table by Tish Lancaster and the Mizz-behavin’ Band on Jan. 31, though they are currently the house band for the Chuggin’ Monkey Bar on Sixth Street in Austin.
“We have Ruben Muñoz on bass, Jeff Grant on lead guitar, and Benjy Portnoy on drums,” Lancaster said. With the three men on stage, an audience mem-ber might assume it was all the band had to offer. That is in no way a complaint Once the band started with the bluesy guitar solos, Grant’s deep-aged voice, and the booming bass the audience was suckered in.
Then came the element of surprise as Tish Lancaster jumped on stage with a presence no one could resist. Sing-ing songs from “I Feel Good” by James Brown to Tina Turner’s rendition of “Proud Mary,” she hypnotized the audi-ence with her strong voice backed up by a strong attitude.
McAllen local Yvette Angeles, 21, felt Lancaster brought something differ-ent to the Valley.
“Once the vocalist stepped on stage, she brought energy out of the whole band. Inebriated or not, that woman could make you sing, dance, and enjoy the blues,” Angeles said.
As one of the area’s only rock bars, Rhythm and Brews helps as a stepping stone for others.
“This is one of the hottest places to be, the bar hand picks all of the bands that play here,” Lancaster stated With the bar scrutinizing every band that plays, it is obvious the Valley can ex-pect this bar to expand with the new modern vibe the area undoubtedly de-serves.
To learn more about Tish Lancaster and the Mizzbehavin’ band, readers can visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/mizzbehavinband.
By Andrielle FigueroaThe Pan American
SING IT - Tish Lancaster (right) and Jeff Grant of Tish Lancaster and the Mizzbehavin’ Band rock downtown McAllen Saturday.
Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN
ARTS AND LIFEPage 12 February 5, 2009
Valley rockers well on their way in ‘09
There comes a time in each of our lives when we realize that all of the hard work has fi nally paid off. This moment brings much joy and we may be confl ict-ed about whether to scream in delight or simply cry. For local rock band A Day of Ashes (ADOA), that moment has come in the form of its fi rst album release, “TURMOIL.”
Lead singer and band cofounder Rick Manzo, 27, is both anxious and excited for what 2009 will bring for his band. Manzo, an ex-member of A Faultered State and Drain of Life, goes by stage name Phoenix. It is a name coined by his cousin and fellow bandmate Marty Petrelli, for the former’s will to make a comeback after his previous bands dis-banded time and time again.
In the past two years ADOA has had ups and downs, from changing the lineup a few times to industry reps get-ting their hopes up, only to leave them hanging in the end. Several labels have shown interest in the past, but expected ADOA to pay them to get signed. The band consists of Phoenix, a Weslaco na-tive, Petrelli (who sings back-up vocals and plays lead guitar), Mario Garza as the drummer, Manny Garcia on guitar, all from Mercedes and J.J. Garza on bass, who resides in Edinburg.
Each member has had to make sacri-fi ces and face obstacles and hardships on their own, but the members have perse-vered, all striving for the same goal and passion: music. Such sacrifi ces include time spent away from families and time off from school. Phoenix has an 8-month-old baby girl at home and admits that it is very hard to leave her behind while he’s on tour. “It’s hard having to sacrifi ce time with her, but my family supports me and believes in me and it’s something I’m do-ing for them,” he added.
The youngest member of the band
is Garcia, only 15 he attends Mercedes High School, and explains that balanc-ing school and the band is tough, but he makes it work. Garcia does have other goals and a Plan B just in case the whole rockstar path doesn’t work out.
“I would like to be a music teacher maybe and teach guitar,” he said.
Other members, however, are sure that they are on the right track to accom-plish their life’s work.
“I work my butt off to do this as a liv-ing, traveling and meeting new people, I would like to keep doing it profession-ally,” Petrelli noted.
While ADOA has only been together for two years, each member brought along with him a fan following from their ex-bands and the group is currently making every PR move possible to get its name out. From MySpace to radio adver-tisements, the guys of ADOA are gaining a reputable following. Their MySpace page boasts 1,977 friends/fans and every show they see more and more people.
However, their success hasn’t come without bridges to cross, just like any other musician trying to get ahead in the business. Since they aren’t signed with a label, they had to come up with the fund-ing to record and release “TURMOIL.” While most bands strike a record deal fi rst, then are given funding, ADOA de-cided to go ahead without a label and do all the dirty work themselves. The total cost to put out the album was about $7,000 and they were able to come up with the money by having a fundraiser. They held a concert at the livestock show grounds and sold tickets that gave fans ac-cess to the show, fi rst dibs on the album and a special invite to their release party.
A rocky start may have actually al-lowed ADOA to better appreciate the rewards in the end. The biggest one as of now has been producing their record and the potential of it reaching the masses. Most of the guys had been through the process before with ex-bands, but this is
the fi rst time they’ve cut an album. As for future goals, they hope to start touring in areas outside of the Valley and build their fan base along the way. So far they’ve covered all the bases, having played in Sharyland, McAllen, Brownsville and Laredo. In the meantime though, they’re perfectly content with serenading their South Texas fans. Upcoming concerts include stops at both The University of Texas-Pan American on March 31 and South Texas College on April 23.
Aside from rocking out just about ev-ery night, the band is also involved with the American Red Cross, having part-nered with that organization on several occasions to raise funds. Last year they participated in the “Ride for Red” concert and just booked a show to help the Easter Seals. Not surprisingly, Phoenix’s ultimate moment will come when he’s made a dif-ference in someone’s life with his music.
“I want to know that I’ve been an infl uence to someone, maybe someone younger who can look to me as a role model,” he explained.
As far as any advice for a band trying to make it, they offer this:
“It’s a lot of fun being in a band, it is hard work and you will get rejected,” Phoenix promised. “You’ll be told you won’t make it, and your chances may be shot from the beginning, but you have to have hope and dream big enough to get to where you’re comfortable.”
With an anticipated CD release date of March, they will also be throwing a release party. No dates have been set yet, but members are looking at some-time around Spring Break.
Tomorrow night kicks off the start of their local tour during Mardi Rock. The event, which is put together by JG Productions, will also feature three other bands: Obscurity, The Jericho Machine and Affl iction of Sin, at the KC Hall in Mercedes starting at 7 p.m.
A Day of Ashes is currently in talks with record labels and with venues all over the Valley for possible in-store plays. It seems as though obstacles are a thing of the past for the boys and 2009 will bring nothing but better days for them. For more info on ADOA, check them out on their MySpace page myspace.com/adayofashes.
� MUSIC
By Laura GarciaThe Pan American
ROCK ON - A Day of Ashes will perform during tomorrow night’s Mardi Rock event at the KC Hall in Mercedes.
� A&L BRIEFS
Nason Rumfield
� ART
UTPA, STC host ‘Sell Your Fear’ conferenceThese days one cannot help but
be assaulted daily via television and newspapers with images and stories that ignite anxiety. The economic downturn may make you lose your job and house and pay hundreds of dollars in gas money! There’s lead in your toys, salmonella in your peanut butter, melamine in your baby formula and terrorists waiting for you to let your guard down!!
Relax. While buying into fear has become an American way of life, now you can sell it.
UTPA and South Texas College partner to bring “Sell Your Fear,” a conference and graphic arts exhibit dealing with the broad aspects of fear in the 21st century and the role of marketing and selling fear via the arts touches all disciplines.
The event kicks off with a graphic exhibit open to the public starting March 26 at 6 p.m. at STC’s Pecan Campus art gallery and running through April 30. The conference will be held at UTPA on March 28-29 to coincide with FESTIBA,
the yearly spring creative arts festival by the College of Arts and Humanities.
UTPA professors Robert P. Gilbert and David Martinez are coordinating the event along with STC professor and art gallery curator David Freeman.
Gilbert, associate professor of graphic design, came up with the “Sell Your Fear” theme after Freeman suggested they do an art show together. Freeman then had the idea of making an entire conference to go along with the art exhibit.
“It was originally going to be a graphic design conference on issues of morality in the design fi eld and how it is used to create and perpetuate fear in politics and advertising,” Gilbert said. “Then we decided to open it up to people of all disciplines that speak about the idea of fear in America, so we want it to be very broad.”
Entries are encouraged from all disciplines and open to anyone anywhere in the world. Submissions eligible for acceptance should come in the form or posters and abstracts, which are written proposals for a presentation within the event’s theme.
Of the call for posters for the graphic exhibit, Gilbert says the concept is simple.
“We want people to create a piece of conceptual poster art that tries to sell their fear or make it seem desirable,” he said. “So it’s a little bit of a twisted kind of take on that.”
Gilbert adds that entrants should stick to political, national or socioeconomic fears rather than personal ones. The poster should have a title, imagery, sub-copy, be unmounted and unframed, and 24 by 36 inches in size. Each accepted work must be clearly labeled and arrive at STC postmarked no later than Feb. 26. Entries will then be juried and artists chosen for the exhibit will be notifi ed March 9 via e-mail. Recognitions for best in show and fi rst through third place will be awarded.
For entries in the abstract portion, written proposals should be submitted on a topic within the “Sell Your Fear” theme. Those chosen for the conference will then present research and papers, followed by a question-and-answer period and concluding with a panel discussion.
“We’re looking for speakers who want to talk about the whole idea of fear and
negotiating fear,” said Martinez, assistant professor of graphic design. “We wanted to keep it pretty broad in terms of people who wanted to submit papers, or abstracts. So we’re very interested in multidisciplinary approaches and ideas here.”
Sofi a K. Perez, an art gallery assistant at STC, said the theme defi nitely makes the conference unique and relevant to everyone.
“Fear is something that’s prevalent in our everyday existence,” she commented. “Whether it’s political or social, I think art is a form of expression and fear is such a strong emotion it can be expressed visually in an amazing way.”
Though this is the fi rst time the conference will be held, coordinators are hopeful they can continue the event annually, with a different theme.
Entry forms are available at the UTPA art offi ce and must be sent along with a $20 entry fee to South Texas College, C/O: Cashiers, P.O. Box 9701, McAllen, Texas, 78502. Both posters and abstracts must be shipped to Sofi a K. Perez, South Texas College Library Art Gallery, 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. McAllen, Texas, 78501. For more information, contact STC at 872-3488.
By Marco CarbajalThe Pan American
Writers’ workshop
Students and the community are invited to participate in the Winter Writers’ Workshop led by assistant professors of English Emmy Pérez and Dr. Philip Zwerling. At $40 per course, participants have the option of signing up for memoir writing, fl ash fi ction (short form storytelling), screenwriting, or poetry writing.
Classes will unfold in the span of Fridays and Saturdays at the International Trade and Technology building on Feb. 7, Feb. 21, March 6, and March 13.
Students signing up for fl ash fi ction will be trained to transform life experiences into short fi ctional stories. The memoir-writing workshop will consist of digging deep into the life and memories of participants. Screenwriting will allow students to explore turning their ideas into riveting images and stories into captivating scenarios.
For more information, contact the Continuing Education Program at 381-3661 or e-mail [email protected]. To register, visit www.utpa.edu/ce.
Hedda Gabler
The University Theatre welcomes the New Year with “Hedda Gabler.” It is set to play at the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre off Sugar Road and University Drive in Edinburg, March 4-8.
A tale of affairs, scandals, and broken dreams; “Hedda Gabler” is sure to make any novella look like a comedy. Newlyweds “Hedda Gabler” and George Tesman arrive home to their new house. Soon it is clear that she forced herself to marry Tesman only because she had reached the age at which society dictated she should wed. Not even a year into their marriage and Hedda is showing signs of boredom, even with a baby on the way.
The tragedy concentrates on themes such as society’s determination of sex roles and personal identity, as well as the confl ict between middle class illusions and reality. Ibsen’s plays relentlessly attacked the social norm and dealt with contemporary subjects. The dramatic approach in his plays was provocative, calling attention to inner psychological motivations and the way socio-economic environments exert an infl uence on people. By putting on “Hedda Gabler,” the University Theatre is allowing its students to better appreciate the fundamentals of realism in the theater, and to increase their chances of getting into graduate schools.
The performance of Ibsen’s most memorable heroine runs at 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday evening, with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee, March 4-8, at UTPA. No children below the third grade will be admitted.
For reservations or more information you may call the University Theatre box offi ce at 381-3581.
Another chapter in The Univer-sity of Texas-Pan American intramural sports history will be made this week-end with a much anticipated basketball tournament among fellow students. The Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex will hold the 2009 intramu-ral basketball tournament Saturday comprising of 15 intramural teams. A single-elimination format will be in place with the winner advancing to the 2009 NCCS Region IV Basketball Championship in Arlington Feb. 28.
“I have to say there are very good games that take place. There’s a good
atmosphere,” said intramural assistant Art Cabrera, who has been coordinat-ing the tournament since it originated in 2002. “People that come and watch the games get a chance to see these guys fi ght and compete for the oppor-tunity to go to Arlington.”
The tournament has developed into a competitive and entertaining event with fi erce rivalries. One current ri-valry is between tournament favorites Beasty and Team Bro.
Five-time defending champs Beasty is again ranked No. 1 followed by Team Bro. For the past three tour-naments, Beasty has defeated its rival in the fi nals by close margins, creating
a heated rivalry between them. Beasty is 4-0 lifetime against Team
Bro but members of the team are aware that their counterparts are a real threat, says team captain Diego Olague.
“Our biggest competition is very good offensively. They move the ball well and shoot the ball even better,” said Olague, a kinesiology major from Edin-burg. “We need to play good defense and good offense to beat them. If we don’t hit shots against this team (Bro), it will be all downhill from there.”
With its core of players still intact, Beasty is looking to get back to the region tourney and better the Sweet 16 performance last year. The Beasty
squad is made up of former high school basketball players from around the Val-ley. Former Mission Veteran standout Ivan Dominguez handles Beasty’s of-fensive responsibilities, while former Edinburg Bobcat big man Mike Soto anchors the defense down low.
“We’ve had this team for three years. Everybody has their role,” Olague said. “Our goal is to win it (tournament) and make it to the elite eight at Arlington.”
Team Bro is a team-oriented squad that likes to move the ball around. Loaded with spot-up shooters such as former EHS All-District guard Rallie De La Rosa (sophomore), Team Bro’s
sharpshooters will rely on their ball movement.
“We don’t have key players. Every-body can have a big game any time,” said junior Lucio Rodriguez, a former All-District wing at Edinburg High. “We move the ball around so every-body gets open shots. We don’t rely on one-on-one game.”
Team Bro also maintains its group of core players. They are all made up of Edinburg High alumni with four of their fi ve starters serving on the 2006 District 31-5A championship team
Games will begin at 9 a.m. and will conclude at 4 p.m. with the champion-ship game.
The University of Texas Pan Amer-ican women’s basketball completed their up-and-down month in January fi nishing 4-4. With only four games left before the National Independent Showcase in March the 12-11 Lady Broncs are still in contention to fi n-ish with their best record ever, under sixth-year head coach DeAnn Craft.
“A lot better than a year ago,” Craft said about the Lady Broncs’ perfor-mance in January. “We’re still shoot-ing for the ultimate goal and we really rebounded from our loss in Corpus (Christi) with a big win.”
Last Saturday the Lady Broncs were in action, taking on future Great West rival Chicago State. In the sec-ond half of play Robin Garrett, who
fi nished the game with 18 points and six rebounds, stepped it up and had a 13-point half.
“We’re rebounding better, our de-fense is solid and I think offensively we play pretty good ball control,” Craft said. “I really like the emergence of Robin Garrett.”
Up next for the Lady Broncs will be Long Beach State on Valentines Day in Long Beach. The road trip contin-ues when the team faces off against Cal State-Bakersfi eld on Feb. 17, a rematch from the Jan 17 UTPA loss at the Field House.
The Lady Broncs are back at home against New Jersey Institute of Tech-nology on Feb 21 and close the season against Chicago State Feb. 28.
“We’re starting to see consistent minutes,” Craft concluded. “So we’re going to need that going on the road.”
Page 13THE PAN AMERICANFebruary 5, 2009
Dates to Know:
� Women’s Basketball
Lady Broncs inch near all-time record for wins
Ben Briones/The Pan AmericanUP AND OVER - Forward Brittany Demery shoots for a two-point jumper over Chicago’s Laureen Pierson. The Lady Broncs will hit the road Feb. 14 against Long Beach State.
Intramural basketball teams vying for trip to Arlington By Alvaro BalderasThe Pan American
� Wellness Center
Men’s and Women’s Tennisvs. Southern UniversitySaturdayOrville Cox Tennis Center
Kidfi t Promotion ClassesSaturday, 10 to 11 a.m.WRSC - Aerobic Studio
|-----TOTAL-----| |------3-PTS------| |-----------------REBOUNDS-----------------| GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts AvgWinfrey, Teshay 23-18 633 27.5 92-213 .432 38-107 .355 43-52 .827 40 87 127 5.5 33 0 50 52 10 32 265 11.5Smith, Epiphany 23-23 820 35.7 64-195 .328 32-108 .296 63-81 .778 6 35 41 1.8 42 1 101 74 1 31 223 9.7Jean, Rose Esther 21-21 621 29.6 65-160 .406 2-12 .167 17-29 .586 41 62 103 4.9 54 2 45 51 30 50 149 7.1Demery, Brittany 23-15 451 19.6 52-127 .409 2-9 .222 48-65 .738 35 67 102 4.4 59 1 11 49 4 22 154 6.7Grigsby, Aleeya 23-12 568 24.7 47-101 .465 6-13 .462 18-31 .581 45 68 113 4.9 29 0 24 45 3 13 118 5.1Hester, Rachel 14-1 194 13.9 24-59 .407 11-30 .367 4-9 .444 3 6 9 0.6 18 0 8 18 0 13 63 4.5Erlingsdottir, Mari 18-12 301 16.7 27-84 .321 9-34 .265 5-11 .455 13 23 36 2.0 22 0 12 20 0 6 68 3.8Garrett, Robin 22-7 210 9.5 30-60 .500 0-1 .000 22-28 .786 13 25 38 1.7 30 0 3 22 0 7 82 3.7Guzman, Marah 21-5 205 9.8 16-38 .421 2-6 .333 7-10 .700 3 10 13 0.6 11 0 26 21 1 14 41 2.0Kostacky, Danielle 21-0 189 9.0 13-40 .325 3-11 .273 7-10 .700 5 20 25 1.2 11 0 7 4 1 7 36 1.7Walker, Jessica 18-0 164 9.1 10-33 .303 6-23 .261 0-0 .000 4 13 17 0.9 8 0 5 13 0 6 26 1.4Walker, Shavon 14-0 69 4.9 7-23 .304 0-0 .000 3-12 .250 9 10 19 1.4 5 0 2 8 0 6 17 1.2Garza, Andrea 8-1 50 6.3 3-12 .250 0-0 .000 1-2 .500 5 4 9 1.1 7 0 0 4 0 3 7 0.9Davis, Sherrel l6-0 26 4.3 1-5 .200 0-0 .000 3-4 .750 3 2 5 0.8 1 0 3 2 0 2 5 0.8Session, Janita 18-0 117 6.5 4-22 .182 0-1 .000 3-4 .750 9 10 19 1.1 5 0 4 10 0 4 11 0.6Schneider, Taylor 11-0 32 2.9 0-5 .000 0-4 .000 0-0 .000 1 2 3 0.3 4 0 2 5 1 0 0 0.0 TEAM 61 64 125 5.4 0 36 Total 23 4650 455-1177 .387 111-359 .309 244-348 .701 296 508 804 35.0 339 4 303 434 51 216 1265 55.0 Opponents 23 4650 478-1238 .386 132-433 .305 217-324 .670 321 497 818 35.6 338 - 318 433 54 186 1305 56.7
Women’s Basketball Season Stats (as of Feb. 3, 2009)
By Pedro Perez IVThe Pan American
SPORTS February 5, 2009Page 14
|-----TOTAL-----| |------3-PTS------| |-----------------REBOUNDS-----------------| GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts AvgJones, Emmanuel 18-17 548 30.4 129-241 .535 0-2 .000 52-85 .612 50 96 146 8.1 34 2 20 42 13 12 310 17.2Weiermiller, Nick 19-19 690 36.3 71-166 .428 37-87 .425 34-48 .708 6 41 47 2.5 52 0 114 58 0 23 213 11.2Hawkins, Nathan 19-11 384 20.2 73-142 .514 0-0 .000 37-80 .463 30 38 68 3.6 41 1 8 25 1 2 183 9.6Smith, Ben 19-19 524 27.6 42-131 .321 35-116 .302 9-14 .643 7 37 44 2.3 43 3 45 29 6 21 128 6.7Valera, Luis 19-9 369 19.4 39-83 .470 0-1 .000 34-53 .642 23 55 78 4.1 51 3 5 27 5 5 112 5.9Turner, P.J. 12-7 334 27.8 22-50 .440 3-9 .333 18-29 .621 1 12 13 1.1 27 0 45 42 1 11 65 5.4Maree, Jared 19-8 454 23.9 25-78 .321 8-31 .258 20-30 .667 8 30 38 2.0 44 1 23 23 1 9 78 4.1Allgood, Julius 19-1 183 9.6 21-47 .447 2-14 .143 10-17 .588 12 20 32 1.7 33 1 9 16 0 4 54 2.8Smith, Andrew 10-0 37 3.7 8-12 .667 0-0 .000 4-8 .500 9 6 15 1.5 7 0 1 1 2 0 20 2.0Jensen, Jason 18-4 254 14.1 12-40 .300 6-24 .250 4-4 1.000 6 32 38 2.1 12 0 18 10 0 6 34 1.9Trader, Jacob 3-0 6 2.0 2-4 .500 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 1 1 2 0.7 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1.3Zaney, Matt 5-0 6 1.2 1-1 1.000 0-0 .000 0-2 .000 0 2 2 0.4 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.4Silva, Steve 5-0 4 0.8 0-2 .000 0-2 .000 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0Gonzales, Jesse 2-0 7 3.5 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 TEAM 30 36 66 3.5 1 14 Total 19 3800 445-997 .446 91-286 .318 222-370 .600 183 407 590 31.1 347 11 290 287 29 93 1203 63.3 Opponents 19 3800 468-970 .482 128-342 .374 258-381 .677 160 449 609 32.1 354 - 274 280 68 126 1322 69.6
Men’s Basketball Season Stats (as of Feb. 3, 2009)
FALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAMThe 2008 Fall All-Academic
recipients list was announced Tuesday by the Great West Conference with members of the men’s and women’s cross-country and volleyball programs representing The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
From the men’s cross-country program, senior Luis Nava and Omar Doria were chosen as well as Carolina Izaguirre from the women’s group.
Nava and Izaguirre also were recipients of the First Team All-Conference for their on-track performances at the 2008 Great West Conference Championship in Orem, Utah.
Eight Lady Broncs from the women’s volleyball program made the academic honors list: Chelsea Blakely, Marci Logan, Noelle Mayor, Kellie Phillips, Danielle Reed, Deanna Schneyer, Rebecca Toddy and Ytzsel Trinidad.
Requirements for selection to the All-Academic team include earning a minimum of a 3.2 grade-point average and having participated in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests. The student-athletes were chosen based on their most recent GPA.
HALL OF FAMEThe third annual University of
Texas-Pan American Athletic Hall of Fame will be held Feb. 21. The 2009
class inductees include: Abe Lemons, Jim McGurk, Ken Lang, George Kon, Delilah Johnson, James Tyrone, Wayne Tyrone, Leonard Tyrone, Jim McKone, Lupe Garcia and the 1971 College World Series baseball team.
McKone and Garcia will also be the fi rst inductees to the UTPA Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor is designated for people who were not UTPA athletes or coaches but had a great contribution to the athletic programs.
The ceremony will be held at the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex at 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact Silvia Ochoa or call the Athletic Department at 381-2221.
� Bronc Review Wellness Center February Events Schedule
A.M. Bootcamp - Monday & Wednesday classes (free to anyone)Outdoor facilities Feb. 2 - March 13 6:15-7 a.m. Climbing Wall Clinic #1The Rock Feb. 5 3:30-9 p.m.
Kidfi t Promotion Classes (no dependent membership required to attend in February)Aerobic Studio Feb. 7 10-11 a.m.
Zumba Fusion (three hours of non-stop dancing)Aerobic Studio Feb. 12 6-9 p.m.
Rock of LoveThe Rock Feb. 12 3:30-9 p.m.
Climbing Wall Clinic #2The Rock Feb. 19 3:30-9 p.m.
A sense of anticipation invaded The University of Texas-Pan Ameri-can Field House Monday as the men’s basketball team entered the last stretch of the 2008-09 season.
Coming in with a 5-13 record, the Broncs saw their expectations ex-tinguished by Savannah State’s stiff defense which complicated their at-tempts to fi nish the year on a positive note. The result was a 64-58 home loss Monday.
Junior forward Nathan Hawkins opened the game with a jumper at the 18:49 mark followed by Ben Smith’s three-pointer, but the Tigers respond-ed with a trio of three-pointers, which started Bronc struggles to close the gap by less than fi ve points.
After almost two hours of battle between the two squads, a layup by sophomore guard Nick Weiermiller cut the defi cit to 59-55 with only 40 seconds remaining but a series of fouls gave the Tigers the opportunity to get ahead and end the match there.
“I’m very disappointed we lost,” men’s basketball coach Tom Schuberth said. “At times, we did some good things to get back in the game, but we never should’ve been in that position.”
The men have had a diffi cult sea-son, but according to freshman Jared Maree, the results have not refl ected the progress that the young team has made since the beginning of the year.
“Even though the season is not go-ing as planned right now, I feel that we are a new team and the chemistry in
the team gets better and better pretty much in every game,” said Maree, a guard from Houston.
Only fi ve returning regulars re-turned to the Broncs this season from last year’s remarkable 18-win team: seniors Julius Allgood and Emmanuel Jones, juniors Hawkins and Smith and sophomore Jacob Trader. The coach agreed with Maree that there have been bright moments.
“Having a young team, you’re gon-na go through some growing pain,” Schuberth said. “I’m not pleased with our record but I think we’re improving as a team.”
Freshman forward Andrew Smith explained that improvement will come with the maturation of freshmen like himself and Maree.
“The more the season is going on, the more that we’re understanding how college basketball is and how it’s supposed to be played,” he comment-ed. “I think we can turn a lot of the last games into wins.”
With only eight games remaining, positivity still engulfs the Bronc lock-er rooms. And despite the hard times, the Green and Orange refuse to surren-der against adversity.
“Everybody can do good in pros-perous situations but how you respond to adversity is the key to being a good team, a good coach and a good play-er,” Schuberth said.
Andrew Smith stressed that diffi -cult situations inspire the team to give everything in each play.
“We live for the game,” he said. “Ev-ery one of us tries during bad times and good times. We’re not gonna give up.”
With that mentality, the Broncs have faced some of the toughest duels, including recently against SEC power Auburn Jan. 27 when UTPA scratched its way back from a 14-point defi cit but fell 66-63 after a late missed op-portunity.
“As the game went by we started gaining confi dence, we started playing harder because we realized the other team wasn’t as hard as we thought,” Venezuela native Luis Valera said. “With the game so close, we wanted to win so bad, we gave it all out.”
With the exception of Texas A&M International, the last eight games are against Independent teams.
“We have six home games remain-ing and they’re all against Indepen-dent teams,” Schuberth said. “We’ll see what we’re made of and hopefully come out on top.”
With the challenge of fi nishing the season on a positive note, Jones reiter-ates that the possibility of success in the last games will rely on the team’s drive and focus to make things work.
“We can win the last set of games,” he said. “But at the same time if we don’t bring it and play hard we can lose the rest of them.”
NOTES: On Wednesday, the Broncs defeated Texas A&M Interna-tional 76-52.
Jones fi nished with 18 points with four rebounds while Hawkins and Maree scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Broncs will host Chicago State Saturday at 7 p.m. before returning for a second three-game home stand, be-ginning Feb. 14, after a road contest at Longwood.
Page 15SPORTSFebruary 5, 2009
By Sara HernandezThe Pan American
� Men’s Basketball
Broncs break fi ve-game losing streak with 76-52 win
Broncs get boost from Weiermiller’s persistence, commitment
Ben Briones/The Pan AmericanJUST IN TIME - Forward Emmanuel Jones gracefully drops the ball into the net with three seconds left on the shot clock during Wednesday night’s victory against Texas A&M International.
� Player Focus
Monday night, The University of Texas-Pan American sophomore guard Nick Weiermiller lingered around the locker room after the game – he would be one of the last to leave, as usual. Most of the other Bronc basketball players had promptly made their way out by now, having just suffered a fi fth straight loss, at the hand of Savannah State, for salt in an open wound.
With the band shuffl ing out and the Lady Broncs warming up for a late night practice session, the UTPA Field House stood steady. Weiermiller washed away the sweat, grease and grime from the game, and after exchanging his Bronc jersey for a long-sleeved T-shirt, he casually walked out.
Weiermiller, with a modest 6-foot-1 frame, isn’t a prolifi c scorer from the arc or a physical goliath in the paint, but he puts in the work and plays a blue-collar game. He averages 11.2 points an outing as the team’s second leading scorer and leads the team with 114 assists.
In the team-leading 690 minutes (the next closest is 548 minutes) that Weiermiller has played this season, he
has shot approximately 43 percent from the fi eld and 43 percent from 3-point range. But what the stats don’t show is his grit.
“I just try to go in there and just play my game and make the right decisions and the right plays and let everything else take care of itself,” Weiermiller said. “I just try to do my job when I’m in at point guard, to handle the ball and get us into the offense and at shooting guard knock down my open shots.”
The international business major, 20, is from Elmira, N.Y. where he picked up the game at the age of 5, becoming a backyard basketball junky before joining a youth league at the YMCA. After attending high school at Elmira Free Academy, he went to the International Management Group (IMG) Basketball Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and eventually made his way to UTPA.
This season Weiermiller has had to shoulder a heavy load due to the team’s injury plight, playing close to 40 minutes a game, and only recently has been granted some relief. Head coach Tom Schuberth recognized the diffi culty of Weiermiller’s task.
“He’s done a great job under the circumstances,” Schuberth said. “We’ve
had a lot of injuries and P.J. Turner was ineligible for a while, so Nick has had to play more minutes than he really needs to and that puts him in a tough position. So, when he’s had to do that he’s really stepped up.”
Schuberth thinks that the long season has worn on Weiermiller, but adds that he has accepted his role wholeheartedly.
“He’s gotten fatigued. His shooting has been good, but we’ve got to get him to play that all-around game with ball handling and passing and so forth. But he’s done a good job under the circumstances,” Schuberth said. “He’s had several games where he has played the entire ballgame. That’s very diffi cult, especially back to back, sometimes three games in a row. So, you’re going to make mistakes when you’re fatigued, but he’s accepted that because he knows we need him.”
While he isn’t fl ashy and may not drop 30 points on any team he faces, the guy has a nonstop motor. Despite the fact that the Broncs, currently 6-14, have seen the slums this season, Weiermiller remains optimistic about soaking up the experience.
“It’s fun being around the guys, going to practices and traveling to all these different cities around the country,”
Weiermiller said. “It’s really just a good time playing on this team.”
With fellow point guard Turner now healthy, Weiermiller will get some much
needed rest. But he has made it clear that his intent is to be exactly what the team needs him to be, and that he will give it his all when called upon.
By Kevin StichThe Pan American
Roxy Solis/The Pan AmericanJACK-OF-ALL-TRADES - Sophomore guard Nick Weiermiller leads the team in minutes played this season and is willing to accept any job for the betterment of the team.
Sports CommentaryTHE PAN AMERICANPage 16 February 5, 2009
� Feature
Coach put me in, we can win this one By Pedro Perez IVThe Pan American
There’s a somber feeling some people get when football season is all said and done, as February through July might be considered the doldrums. But for the others, attention turns to the NBA. From now until June, teams like the Boston Celtics, L.A. Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs will be vying for the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.
So here are the facts.On Monday the Spurs faced off against
the Golden State Warriors. This was their fi rst game on the road due to the rodeo that’s been housed at their beloved AT&T Center. The Spurs made good in their outing against Golden State 110-105, giving them a three-game win streak. Tim Duncan scored 32 points, collected 15 rebounds and a block; Tony Parker scored 23 points and had seven assists and Manu Ginobili fi nished the game with 32 points and two steals.
But all good things come to an end. This was the same for the Spurs’ win streak. The overtime performance against the Warriors was apparently too much for San Antonio’s Big Three. Against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday head coach Gregg Popovich decided to give Duncan, Parker and Ginobili the night off. At least Ginobili had good reason to sit out with his bruised hip, but Duncan and Parker should have played. If they had been in the lineup, the team would have won.
The Spurs’ Big Three are just too much for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. But the Spurs’ bench can’t handle them. And it showed on Tuesday night.
What’s one more game? If they have hearts of champions, shouldn’t they want to play no matter what happened the night before?
So it was a long game against Golden State, get over it, babies! Popovich’s decision to sit the trio out for a game to give them more rest before Sunday’s big tilt against the Celtics was only partly logical. Ginobili’s benching due to injury was a good move considering he’s defi nitely going to be needed if they stand a chance against Boston.
Four days of rest is more than enough time to be fresh for a game, especially considering the physical fi tness of NBA players.
For Duncan and Parker, hopefully the night off will pay some extra dividends in the long run. But come Sunday, if the Spurs lose to the Celtics the last thing they can use as an excuse is being tired.
Hopefully the Big Three show up to play against the “Boston Three Party” because Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are hot, even without Kevin Garnett who’s been out for the last three games with fl u like symptoms. The Celtics match up against the Lakers tonight with Garnett back in the line up and come Sunday the Big Three will defi nitely have their hands full.
As students fi le into their Theory of Baseball class every Monday and Wednesday afternoon, Richard Flores quietly sits in his chair at the front of the room, pondering some mysterious thought that leaves one extremely curi-ous as to what he’s thinking.
Once the class looks more than half full, Flores, a part-time kinesiology lec-turer at The University of Texas-Pan American, begins his lesson 10 minutes before its initial start time and routinely shares some conventional life wisdom with his students. He excitedly contin-ues with his baseball lecture, sporadi-cally confusing some terminology with football jargon, until 10 minutes before the class’s end time.
As the students exit the class, his animated character quickly fades while Flores packs his briefcase and makes a refi ned departure.
Flores, 69, now lives a rather simple and calm life. However, don’t let his tranquil demeanor fool you, as there was a time when things weren’t so un-demanding.
THE GLORY DAYS The best was always expected out
of Flores. Communities around the Rio Grande Valley held him up on a pedes-tal for being an illustrious public fi gure after serving 15 years as a high school football head coach.
Flores, a UTPA alumnus, coached the Rio Hondo Bobcats, Lyford Bull-dogs and Edinburg Bobcats in his coach-ing career, leaving a legacy as one of the most successful coaches in the Valley. His achievements led him to three Hall of Fame honors, including entrance
into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, once he retired after the 1989 season. After that he was EHS athletic director for over a decade.
“It’s been a great ride,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with some great parents and I’ve had the opportunity to participate in sports that brought me my profession in focus. That’s why great is great.”
But coaching high school football was never in store for his future.
The Edinburg native always had the dream of becoming a baseball player and initially wanted to coach baseball when he began looking for employ-ment after graduating from Pan Ameri-can University in 1962. Baseball was his passion. From the day he watched a Major League exhibition game in San Antonio with his older brother as a kid, Flores breathed baseball.
He was part of the 1956 EHS team that advanced to the state tournament, where the Bobcats were defeated by Abilene High School, 7-5, in extra in-nings. Abilene went on to capture the state baseball championship.
Flores lettered all four years in high school and went on to play for the Broncs after graduating. He was a catcher the fi rst two years and following a knee injury, pitched and played in the outfi eld his last two years.
In the ‘60s, there weren’t as many sports for people to involve themselves in, so when he struggled to land a baseball coaching position, football became his second option, though he was an offensive lineman for the Bobcats in high school.
“I had to perfect what I did, football-wise, so I could get a position and that’s the way it worked out,” he said.
THE FOOTBALL MANAfter coaching eight years in the
junior high ranks, Flores attended Sam Houston State in 1969 to pursue his masters and it was then when he landed the Rio Hondo head coach position. He coached the Bobcats until 1974, winning two district titles, and after a year at Ly-ford, became the Edinburg High School coach and athletic director.
And it was “Bobcat Pride” that brought him his success.
Flores never had a losing season while he was at Edinburg, something he says he is most proud of, and ad-vanced to the postseason eight consecu-tive years. He saw it all as a coach and experienced any kind of sports-feverish drama you could imagine, including a game that still lives in Valley high school football glory.
“Of all the games, I would have to say the McAllen game of 1977,” Flores said of his most memorable game he’s ever coached. “It’s historical for a fact that it was my third year at Edinburg as a coach. The fi rst year my team had gone 8-2 and the next year we went 6-4. We never seemed to beat McAllen until we had the game.”
With the Bulldogs holding a tight 7-3 lead late in the fourth quarter, the game came down to the fi nal play with the Bobcats facing a fourth-and-22 from the Bulldog 22. Flores, along with ssistant coach Larry Salinas, called a double-hitch pass, a play that was only practiced about two times a week.
Bobcats quarterback Mike Flores completed a lateral pass to his wide re-ceiver, who then found a diving Richard Salaiz in the end zone after running a T-slant route. Salaiz caught the pass and the Bobcats left McAllen’s Veterans Memorial Stadium victorious.
Salaiz, who currently serves as the postmaster at the Edinburg Postal Of-
fi ce, says it was honor for Flores to de-sign and choose that particular play for him during the intense moment. On a chalkboard in his offi ce is the exact draw up of the play, which was done by Flores four years ago. He says he will never re-move it unless he happens to leave the offi ce one day.
“It was sheer luck that I caught it,” said Salaiz, who was also one of the best kickers in Valley history. “It was the highest anyone could feel. It was some-thing that I’ll never forget. I am honored to have played for him, period, because he is a legend.”
After experiencing many unforget-table moments throughout his coaching career, Flores admits football surpassed baseball as his beloved sport. Baseball will always be a part of him but it was football that brought him the recognition and success that gives him his humble demeanor.
“After I got involved in football, I think (my heart) bypassed baseball,” he said.
Life after football is much simpler for Flores these days. He likes to refer to himself as a “busybody” so when retire-ment got tedious, he decided he wanted to return to teaching but this time in the academic setting.
“I always had the passion of teaching what I know best and Pan Am offered me that opportunity to keep me busy,” he said.
Flores jokingly says one thing he doesn’t miss about coaching is the RGV heat but admits he misses the Friday Night Lights, and attends high school football games every so often. How-ever, he knows his time in the spotlight was fulfi lled and now just goes about his days spending quality time with his family.
By Ramiro PaezThe Pan American
BeBen n BrBrioioneness/T/Thehe P Paana Americaann